Spain exhibition No. 2 is in the books, and the Illinois basketball team put a hurting on Valencia.
Overall, the Illini looked great from the tip. Valencia tried to keep up with us throughout the game, but they were no match for Illinois’ physical size and athletic ability.
This game got out of hand quickly. Illinois was up 50-33 at halftime. By the time the final horn blew, or the seconds ticked down in silence for those watching on Vimeo, the Illini would come away with a 105-60 victory.
I loved a lot of what I saw out of the Illini on Wednesday, but there is still one concerning aspect of the team.
Here are five observations from the Illinois basketball win over Valencia
1. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn has a ton of spunk
Illinois basketball brought in a talented class of 2023. The main player in this class who is getting most of the shine is Amani Hansberry.
Hansberry is a top 60 recruit who won the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year award, so of course he is going to be drooled over. I think Hansberry has a chance to be a pretty special player in the paint for the Illini.
Another great get for Illinois in the 2023 class was Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. The once-Purdue commit flipped his pledge to Illinois and is now in the backcourt for the Orange and Blue. On Wednesday against Valencia, Gibbs-Lawhorn got the start and did some really good things on the court.
Gibbs-Lawhorn has great handles and can distribute the ball well. I love that he pushes the ball up the court and gets Illinois into its offense early. This ability and energy can get him in trouble at times as well.
There were multiple times when Gibbs-Lawhorn would try to go behind the back dribble in the backcourt but would turn the ball over. But right before a turnover like that, he would take the ball baseline to baseline and finish strong at the rim.
Gibbs-Lawhorn would do a windmill dunk but also go 1-of-8 from three-point range. You can tell he wants to contribute and be an impact player, and that is exciting. This kid has a ton of spunk, energy, and confidence. I think he has a chance to be a really good player for Illinois. I am a bit surprised he wasn’t a top-100 recruit coming out of high school.
2. We kind of know what Illinois is on offense
There is no reason to sugarcoat things when it comes to the Illinois basketball program. I am excited about this season and the future, but wow, we are not good at shooting the basketball.
In the first game in Spain, Illinois was just 3-of-25 from three-point range, which comes to 12%. No, that isn’t a typo. 12%. In game two against Valencia, Illinois managed to improve its shooting numbers, going 6-of-28 from three-point range. While improved, this is still just 21.4%.
When the season starts, there is going to be an adjustment in minutes, and therefore there will be an adjustment on who is shooting the ball. So, this will likely change the three-point shooting percentage for the better.
While we aren’t good at shooting the three-point shot, there are two areas where Illinois excels when it comes to offense. Those two areas are transition offense and slashing.
I mentioned in the previous slide that I love it when Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn brings the ball up the court. He is quick and decisive with the basketball. This gets Illinois moving. Pulling down a rebound and pushing the ball up the court is at an A+ level for this Illini team.
When we do go into a halfcourt offense, Illinois is at its best when players are consistently slashing toward the basket. I believe we have the players who can distribute the ball, and now we need guys like Terrence Shannon Jr. and Justin Harmon to slash to the basket and get to the rim.
It is early, but I believe we know what Illinois is on offense. We are a team that thrives in the paint. That is where we need to shoot the ball for the vast majority of the time. Anything outside the paint is a mystery. Let’s score in transition and when in the halfcourt, let’s space the floor and have slashers. That is Illinois basketball.
3. Niccolo Moretti is starting to win me over
I am not going to lie, when Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins decided to return, I had produced a projected Illinois lineup and didn’t think Niccolo Moretti would be a contender to start.
Moretti was an unranked recruit from the class of 2023 who is from Italy but played basketball in Australia. There wasn’t much tape on him but the stuff that was on him looked solid. I thought it would take a while for him to get acclimated to the college game and the team.
In the projected Illini lineup, I had Moretti as the third option at the No. 1 guard spot. I thought he was just going to be a depth piece for Illinois. I was wrong.
Moretti is starting to win me over quickly. I have to take the Valencia game with a grain of salt considering it was just an exhibition and Illinois was overpowering, but Moretti looked great in the game.
In 17 minutes of action, Moretti would finish with five points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block. He shot 2-of-6 from the field and 1-of-3 from three-point range. Moretti handles the ball well, commands the offense, and his ability to find his teammates is impressive.
Moretti had an alley-oop pass to Shannon during the game. He honestly gives me Ricky Rubio vibes. I think he has an offensive game as well, which is a bit of a surprise.
From what I have seen thus far, Moretti is definitely a player who should get decent minutes this season. He is technically a freshman, but he plays like he is a junior or senior. If he continues to play like this, I am going to start campaigning for him to start at the No. 1 guard spot.
4. Rebounding intensity is through the roof
Illinois had some issues as a team in 2022-23, but a bright spot for the program was in the rebounding department.
Last season, the Illini would pull down 37.9 rebounds per game, which ranked No. 26 in the country. There are 363 DI basketball teams, and we were No. 26. Let that soak in for a second.
Coleman Hawkins led the way for Illinois, averaging 6.3 rebounds per game. Thankfully, we returned most of our rebounding production this season as well. Four out of our top five players in rebounds per game are back with the program.
Through the first couple of exhibition games this summer, I think Illinois is going to be right back up there in the top 30 in rebounds again this season.
Illinois was able to pull down 64 rebounds against Valencia. Granted, it looked like we were playing a high school team out there, but 64 rebounds is an awful lot.
Hawkins and Amani Hansberry led the way with nine rebounds apiece. Nine different Illinois players had at least four rebounds as well.
While Valencia was clearly outmatched, I still feel like Illinois’ rebounding intensity was exactly where I wanted it to be. We weren’t standing around waiting for the ball to come off the glass. Multiple Illinois players were crashing the boards and going for the ball. This actually caused multiple fouls throughout the game, but I am okay with hustle fouls.
Illinois showed a fire on the glass that I didn’t see often in 2022-23. This team was more intense, and as a fan, I appreciated watching it on Wednesday. While this is just an exhibition, Illinois treated it like a meaningful game. I loved it.
5. I am intrigued by the point guard position
The last thing I wanted to note from the Valencia game was the point guard position. The rotation of players at the No. 1 guard spot piques my interest.
In the game against Valencia, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn started the contest at the point guard position. He was bringing the ball up the court and was leading the offense.
The next option Illinois had come in at the No. 1 guard spot was Ty Rodgers. He entered the game and was the point guard for the Illini. Niccolo Moretti was then the third option for Illinois at point guard.
Throughout the game, all three of these players had time on the court with each other as well. This was a good test to see who gelled with whom and what the best lineups are on the court.
I think, heading into the season, that these three are our options at point guard. Honestly, I am good with any of the three starting. I think Moretti showed me more traditional point guard abilities than the other two, but Rodgers brings a great rebounding ability and physicality to the game.
I am curious how Brad Underwood is going to end up using these three talented guards this season. They all bring something special to the court. Gibbs-Lawhorn has the ability to play the No. 1 or No. 2 and brings great energy. Moretti will create open looks for his teammates and sees plays developing. Rodgers can play three different positions on the court, which is incredible.
Let’s see how the point guard position plays out the rest of the summer and into the fall. This is something to keep an eye on if you are an Illinois fan.